"Tiger and his family have our support as they work through this private matter," said Gatorade.

"At this time, we are not making any changes to our existing marketing programs," said Mike Norton of Gillette.

Of the $117 million Woods made last year, just $7.7 million was on the golf course - the rest came from endorsement deals. Earlier this year, he became the first sports figure to cross the $1 billion mark in earnings.

"A lot of the brands have built their entire positioning platforms around him," said Rick Burton, professor of sport management at Syracuse University.

"If you walk through any airport right now you'll see giant Tiger Woods billboards for Accenture, a financial services company. They are everywhere. It's pretty difficult for these companies to back off from that."

Nike Golf, most notably, is heavily invested in Woods. It is largely through his heavy promotion that Nike became the leading golf apparel company.

Scott Becher, president of Florida-based Sports and Sponsorships, said Woods would keep his endorsement deals because he hadn't broken any serious laws and was making the right move in apologizing.

"Sponsors and fans understand when you make a mistake. There's no crime committed here and I think as long as it stays that way, no harm no foul," Becher said.

NBA star Kobe Bryant famously lost his biggest endorsements in 2004 after being accused of rape. But he rebounded and made $45 million last year, tying Michael Jordan for No. 2 on the 2009 Forbes list of best-paid athletes.

Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps lost a lucrative deal with Kellogg's earlier this year after being photographed smoking pot.

One expert suggested sponsors don't consider marital betrayal that bad and assume the targets of their ads will give the golfer a pass.

"The people most upset by this are probably his female fans and people with strong feelings about marriage and religion. They're not really who his endorsers are trying to reach," said Kathy Sharpe, CEO of Sharpe Partners marketing in New York.

"I'm not sure the people at Nike are so concerned he's broken a fire hydrant and his wife's trust."

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She said Woods should steer clear of a big emotional tell-all TV interview.

"He's always been an enigma. I don't think him coming out and crying and apologizing would fit with the constraints of his personality," Sharpe said.

"The aesthetic of Tiger is that he's the master of getting out of the tight shot, that he can control earth, wind and fire. I don't think anyone wants to see this man broken."

Some companies were capitalizing on Woods' woes, proving the golfer could make them a buck even if he they didn't have a contract with him.

Discount Florida carrier Spirit Airlines greeted visitors to its website yesterday with an animated car being driven into a hydrant by a solemn tiger wearing a golf cap. The gimmick: an "eye of the tiger sale" with fares starting at $9.